Members of the Stormont agriculture committee will give their definitive view on a Farm Welfare Bill for Northern Ireland within weeks.
The proposed legislations, drawn up by Farmers for Action (FFA), has been the organisation’s key policy platform for the last number of years.
FFA coordinator, William Taylor explained:
“We know that the principles of the Bill have been assessed by staff within the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in London.
“The matter is now back with Stormont and there is very prospect of the matter being discussed by members of the assembly’s agriculture committee in January.
“It then becomes a very straightforward issue. The members of the committee have the option to support the proposed legislation and push to have it enacted.
“Alternatively, they can refuse to support it. If this happens then FFA will approach individual members of the Assembly and ask them to take the proposed bill through the different phases of the legislative process at Stormont.”
Farm Welfare Bill
“The year just ending has been a very challenging one for agriculture in Northern Ireland.
“Had it not been for the upturn in the weather at harvest time, the farming industry would be in a totally parlous state right now.
“Never has the need for a Farm Welfare Bill been greater. Its introduction would guarantee farmers a return for their produce that would cover all costs of production while also generating a margin that allows farm businesses to invest in their futures,” Taylor continued.
The FFA representative went on to point out that the Farm Welfare Bill would be totally self-funding.
“This is a fully costed measure,” he stressed.
“Its implementation would not require additional funding from either London or Belfast.
“The inclusion of the word welfare in the name of the proposed bill reflects the fact that so many farming families in Northern Ireland live below the poverty line,” he added.
Another priority for FFA as the New Year approaches, is the repeal if the inheritance tax measures, linked to agricultural land valuations, introduced as part of the recent UK Budget 2024.
FFA has taken part in a number of protests held in London over recent weeks, organised to highlight farmers’ grievances, where this issue is concerned.
“Food security is one of the most significant challenges facing the global economy at the present time.
“Addressing the matter will require farmers being paid realistic prices for their produce,” Taylor said.
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